I had a lap nine months ago and I was well for a while and then I foolishly thought I was better and took clomid, after a failied IVF and this in combination, aggravated my endo so it's now really bad and like it was before my first lap.

I went to see my NHS gyneocologist who said to me that he "did not want to open up my tummy" and that it was too risky and I should be OK since it isn't that long since I had my last lap. He said that the fertility centre that I am being referred to (and won't see until late this summer) would give me their opinion. The endo is however now affecting my sleep and my work as I have no energy and keep popping pain killers. I'm really wanting another lap and will have to go private.

I am just wondering if this is your experience and whether you know how many laps are OK for a woman to have? I had two laps in five months and the surgeon who did my second did not mention anything about risks or that you shouldn't have them often.

Thanks x

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Your gynae is right to be cautious. Whilst it is not 'dangerous' to have repeated laps because of the endo, you're really not doing yourself any favours if you're 'just' using it as pain relief. I don't mean to downplay your pain, and I really sympathise regarding how the pain affects your life but - you say that you 'foolishly... took clomid.... which aggravated your endo" - every time you have surgery, new scar tissue/adhesions are formed. Endo LOVES scar tissue. You are effectively feeding your endo and building up new problems for yourself every time you go under the knife, and in the long run, unless you have acute problems that need sorting immediately, repeated surgery is equally foolish. If surgery worked for endo, we'd all have it the moment we were diagnosed and we'd live happily ever after.

It may well be that the fertility centre thinks it's appropriate for you to have a clear out lap before you embark on fertility treatment, but if they don't and can give you good reasons for their decisions, LEAVE WELL ALONE.

I'm guessing this probably isn't what you wanted to hear and at the end of the day, it's up to you. But after 21 years of this disease and repeated surgeries when we were desperately trying to get pregnant and dealing with multiple cysts, my insides are now inoperable, even by The Surgeon Who Can Cure Everybody Apparently. It's just one huge mass of adhesions, everything is stuck together to such a degree that some of my organs are practically indistinguishable.

The end of the Summer is less than three months away. That's potentially just 2 more cycles. Hang in there, and if the fertility clinic decide that a lap is necessary then go for it. But otherwise - step away from the operating theater

Thanks Chrissie, I keep reading these studies that show that laps increase fertility and reading that while in pain makes a lap just so tempting! thank you for sharing your experience, helps me balance out my thoughts x